Folding couch.



J. L. MOORE & F. L. MUSSER. FOLDIN G COUCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, I914- 1,156,704. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

$67M fswm COLUMBIA PLANOGRAI'H CU-IWASHINDTON, n c.

J. L. MOORE & F. L. MUSSER.

Patented Oct 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,. WASHINGTON. n. c.

nrrnnsrAr-ns rafrnnr onni oi JACOB L. MOORE AND FORY L. MUSSER, 0F BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID MUS SER ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURGH-HICKSON COMPANY, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, AND SAID MOORE' ASSIGNOR- T0 MOORE MIANUFACTURING COMPANY,. OF MUNCIE,

INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FOLDING- ooUon.

Application filed March 30, 1914. Serial No; 328,127. 1

To all ivhom it may concern,

Be it known that we, JAooBL. MOORE and Form L. MUSSER, citizens. of the United States, residing at Butler, inthe county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new .and useful Improvements in Folding Couches, of whichthe fol lowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to folding couches, and the invention resides in the improved features of construction substantially as herein described and claimed, whereby the folding sections are locked and unlocked automatically when raised withthat object in view, and whereby the folding sections are capable of being folded flat upon the top of the couch and the ends detached and nested within the main couch frame for compactness and protection inshippingi In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of'our' improved couch -with the side section's lowered, and Fig. 2 'is an end view on a largerscale of the couch with the parts in the same position Fig. 3 is an end view with the left-hand section raised to about the angle required to effect a locking action of the brace links, and the right-hand section is shown as partly low-' ered with the brace-links in striking relationswith one leg of the frame. Fig. 14: illustrates the final rest and locked position of one side section (at the left) and also the positions assumed by a section when unlocking and lowering occurs (at the right). Fig. '5 is a cross section, enlarged, on line 55, Fig. 8, showingthe spring detent for the brace link. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the couch with the side sections folded inward on top of the main frame and its spring fabric and showing the; ends of, the couch in dotted lines and as nested between the springs, and Fig. 7 showsa side view of the couch and parts as related in Fig. 6; Fig. 8

which have a pintle'connection with similar or equivalent raised hinge portions atithe -1I iner ends of the-angle-iron pieces5 of the -s1de sections 6, whereby" said side. sections Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

maybe'lowered and raised and adapted-to swing in acircle of approximately two hundred andseventy degrees, or from adropped and suspended position to a horizontal overlying position relatively to the-main frame, see Fig. 8. A wire fabric or spring mesh bed bottom 7 is stretched in straight lines by helical springs 9 between the angle-iron "ends 3 and 5 of the mainframe and its side sections, and when the side sections are folded in overlapping relations with the central ,or main frame the wire fabric on the side sections rests upon and covers the Wire fabric at the center of the main frame, or in other words, the wire fabric is dou bled upon itself,;an.advantageous arrangement in shipping as the couch iscompacted and the. sectional frame and wire fabric is better protected by doubling i'tsresistance .to knocks and strains. "The height of the couch is also greatly reduced when knocked down for shipping -as;the end supports comprising the legs 10 and base piece 11 and the braces 12 are separably bolted upon the downwardly-extending flange of the angle- 1 iron cross pieces and'by removing the bolts 13 the said end supports may be bodily transferred and nested within the center of the main bodyv of the couch between the rails 2 as shown in dotted lines, Figs. 6 and springs being supported in parallel rows transversely of 'the 'main frame by cross strips 15 of metal secured to the siderails 2, and the'legs 10 of the end supports are pro- "jected between the saidrows ofsprings when nested or packed withinthe main f frame for shipping. 'However',"legs 10 are not of sufficient length toipermit their up per extremities torest upon a side rail 2 when the'said end supports are so nested, and for this reason the braces 12' are made of a predetermined length and pivotally secured by a rivet approximately midway of the height of each leg 10 to permit the braces 12 to be folded-parallel with the legs 10 and to serve as extensions thereof so that the .extremities. of the braces will engage and doubled wire fabric? and the bowed side rest upon one side rail 2 when the lower ends of the legs are resting upon the other side rail 2, see dotted lines Fig. 6. The braces 12 for each end support are also mounted in the relations as shown and de scribed to permit both braces'to be jointly secured together and to the cross piece '3 by a single bolt 13 when the couch is assembled, see Fig. 2.

Necessarily, the folding side sections 6 require means to sustain them in a horizontal position when raised to convert the narrow couch to a Wide bed, and the means which .we have provided for this purpose is made to operate automatically without requiring special effort or skill on the part of the operator to efiect positive locking and .un locking of the parts, andit is also made with a view to permit the separable parts of the structure to be easily disconnected and compactly folded for shipment. Referring to Figs. 2 to 5, the automatic locking means for each folding section 6 comprises a pairof pivotally connected links 16 and 17, hereinafter referred to as the brace link and pilot link, respectively. Brace link 16 is pivotally affixed at its outer end to the inside face of one flange of the angle iron 5 of the side section 6, and the pilot link 17 is provided with a key slotv 18 at its outer end which permits a slidable and detachable connection to be made with the headed rivet 19 on the outside face of; the angle-iron leg 10. The head of the rivet is of substantially the same diameter as the rounded opening of the key slot, and a close fit is preferred to prevent self-release of the parts during operations. The pilot link is held in flat engagement with the leg by the head of the rivet 19, and the brace link 16 is pivotally secured to the leg-engaging face of the pilot link, which relationship of parts places the end edge 20 of said link 16 opposite the leg and permanently in position to bear against the same when the brace link 16 is projected inwardly toward the leg as seen at the right in Fig. 3 and at the left in Fig. 4. Such projecting relation of link 16* is established when the folding section 6 is swung upwardly from its suspended position (Fig. 2) into an elevated inclined position as shown at the left in 3. The two links 16 and 17 are straightened or placed in end alinement by the lift action, and buckling of the joint inward or toward leg 10 is then necessary to establish locking and bracing relations of link 16 with said leg. One way of producing the desired buckling action is to grip or hold the link 16 temporarily in fixed relations with the folding section 6 by means of a spring clip 21 afiixed to the inside of angle-iron 5, see Fig. 5. Only a slight frictional engagement of the clip with the link is required to prevent the link from dropping by gravity when the folding section 6 is lowered and the result is that the end 20 of the link will travel inward and engage leg lOthe instant said section 6 is lowered,a relationship of parts whichis illustrated at the right in Fig. 3.

.The weight of said section or pressure brought to bear thereon, will lower the sec tion to the same horizontal level as the cross piece 3, and the link 16 will ride down the leg during this movement until a different and better bracing angle of the link is established, or until the link 16 is checked in its down movement by pilot link '17 which has a limited sliding play on rivet 19. When the rivet rests in the upper end of the straight portion of the key slot 18' the pilot link 17 will support and hold the joint end 20 of link 16 in bracing engagement with leg 10, and as plainly. shown'at the left in Fig. 4. Link 16 is also disengaged from clip 21 when it is forced into its angular bracing relationship with leg 10, and therefore when a slight upward lift is imparted to the section 6 as shown at the right in full lines in Fig. 4, the pilot link 17 will be carried in an outward direction until both links reach a dead center and then the weight of the links causes a buckling or folding movement thereof which permits the side section '6 to be lowered as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. v

The operation of folding and unfolding the side sections is exceedingly simple, and locking and unlockingof the parts is entirely automatic. In unfolding operations, the side section 6 is merely lifted to the stop limits fixed by the links and then lowered, which movement places the section in a horizontal position and in braced relations with the main frame. No special effort or skill is required to accomplish the desired result, and the'locking devices at both ends of the sections are operated simultaneously and positively, regardless of any twist in the frame or difference in play between the ends of the sections. Unlocking and lowering of the side sections also requires no special effort or skilful manipulation of the sections, as a slight initial uplift causes the links to drop by gravity out of their bracing relations with the frame.

What we claim is:

1. In a folding couch, a frame, a hinged side section, a pair of links pivotally connected with each other and with said frame and section respectively, and a spring clip adapted to engage andhold said links in buckled relations during folding movements of said section.

2. In a folding couch, .a frame, a hinged side section, a brace link pivoted to said section, a pilot link pivotally connected with said brace link and adapted to have a slidable connection with said frame, and a spring clip upon said section to engage and 1,156,704 I I v 3 hold said brace link during folding moveat each end of said section connected With ments of said section. 1 said frame and adapted to have limited slid- 3. In a folding couch, a frame, a hinged ing contact at their ends on said frame, said 15' section a brace link connected With said links being adapted to'be buckled When said 5 section, a pilot link connected to said brace section is in use] r link having a slotted end detachably and 1 In testimony whereof We afiix our signa slidably connected With said frame, and tures in presence'of tWo Witnesses.

means to effect a reverse buckling movement V JACOB L. MOORE. of the links upon a lowering folding move- FORY L. MUSSER. Witnesses:

ment of said section. Y r

4. A couch frame having a folding sec- SMITH, l tion and a pair of pivotally-connected links a .C. W. FERRY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, addressing the ceniinissionerof Patents,

Washington, D. 0'. I 

